National Toxicology Program

The studies described in the Technical Reports were performed under the direction of the NIEHS and were conducted in compliance with NTP laboratory health and safety requirements and must meet or exceed all applicable federal, state, and local health and safety regulations. Animal care and use were in accordance with the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Animals. The prechronic and chronic studies were conducted in compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Good Laboratory Practice Regulations, and all aspects of the chronic studies were subjected to retrospective quality assurance audits before final publication.

These studies are designed and conducted to characterize and evaluate the toxicologic potential, including carcinogenic activity, of selected chemicals in laboratory animals (usually two species, rats and mice). Chemicals selected for NTP toxicology and carcinogenesis studies are chosen primarily on the bases of human exposure, level of production, and chemical structure. The interpretive conclusions presented in this Technical Report are based only on the results of these NTP studies. Extrapolation of these results to other species and quantitative risk analyses for humans require wider analyses beyond the purview of these studies. Selection per se is not an indicator of a chemical's carcinogenic potential.